During the preseason, both Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James said they would not address their potential upcoming free agency. James has maintained that stance throughout the Heat’s early march to an attempted three-peat. Anthony, during the trials and travails of the Knicks’ season, at times has been about as silent as a marching band on the matter. Probably beats talking about Knicks losses.

“You see me? I don’t talk about it,” said James, adopting a stone-cold, silent-and-still stance before scoring 32 points in vain in a 102-92 against the banged up and sickly Knicks at the Garden Thursday. “It’s easier. I’m in Miami and he’s in New York. The New York media is a little different than in Miami. Guys don’t take no for an answer. So I don’t have to deal with that.”

So he can be quiet about it. Which he was again Thursday. But with The Decision and the world’s most publicized NBA free agency in his past, James, who like Anthony can opt out this summer, knows what is ahead. When asked what advice he would give Anthony, a 29-point scorer last night, James had an immediate response.

“Whatever makes him happy,” James said. “He’s got to do whatever makes him happy at the end of the day. If you’re happy, the game of basketball is going to be fun or you. Strive to be great every day.”Some might say the easiest way to happiness is a fat, bloated paycheck. Hey, if it works for you, fine. But that was not atop his list of “Things I Got To Get In Free Agency,” James insisted.

“What I do [doesn’t] work for everybody. The way I live my life [doesn’t] work for everybody but all I care about is winning,” said James, who has made four trips to the Finals, three with the Heat, two of those resulting in championships. “I came to Miami to win. Money doesn’t make me happy. Winning made me happy and it still does.

“At the end of the day, that’s what mattered to me. Where can I put myself in a position where I can win and win for a long time?”

There have been mounds of speculation around Anthony he’ll head to Los Angeles one way or another. Only he knows — or will know. Some think the Knicks’ struggles will open the door. But James pointed out the context of the Knicks’ season, noting “they’ve been derailed by injuries” and “obviously it’s a good team when healthy.”Thursday, the Knicks had it clicking in all forms not named J.R. Smith.